November 2010
Hello everyone - first post!
I just bought an 04 Mazda 3, and whilst checking it over noticed that the rear wheel arches have a 'felt' liner on the outside - like the stuff the inside of the boot is made out of. Is this normal/typical? Seems to me that this sort of stuff will get wet with spray from the wheel and stay damp and maybe increase corrosion? Anyone else have these on their car? Any ideas on something I could maybe coat them with?... Read more
Hi, Would appreciate a little help - this will be a familiar story for you lot but looks like I'm leaking coolant/anti-freeze. It seems that I can go 50 miles or 200 miles and notice about the same amount of leakage (from max to quarter full) - it's never gone below that but I guess that's because I don't let it. My old man advised me to use Radweld, I trust him with all things cars so went and got a bottle, chucked it in with the coolant and ran the engine on idle for 20 minutes. Curious about whether or not it would work I did some searching online and seen very mixed reviews and lots of concerns about blockages and crippling the radiator. I don't have a temperature guage, any obvious things I should be looking out for to spot a problem? My garage wanted £50 just to stick some dye in to check pressure levels which seems a bit excessive. Any recommendations for garages in Cardiff area? Thanks... Matt.
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I've used Radweld quite a few times on different engines & only ever had good results.
This product has been around for years & the manufacturer would have gone out of business long ago if it caused major problems....
first of all if i have posted in wrong section please move,
rite back to the intended subject, what i want to know is what kills car batterys once we have tempretures like those many parts of the country are having, is it that the liquid chemical freezes solid stopping the chemical reaction with the plates or does the temp just damage the chemical,would insulating the battery(similar to hot water tank at home) obviously not covering the vent holes help with preventing this problem Read more
Heat and shock/severe vibration kills batteries. Cold just reduces a battery's ability to supply heavy current during starts, which is made especially heavier by cold thick viscous oil in the engine and ancillaries such as glow plugs etc. If your battery is dying in the cold, it is either not fully charged or well on its way to the battery recycling unit.
Running a battery partly or deeply discharged for extended periods kills them, so short runs in the winter are not good unless you can top up the charge regularly.
Did not receive a manual with the 6000cd stereo and can't change the time, also can i pair the stereo with my phone? An y help would be great, thanx Jamie Read more
If its a bluetooth radio you can if its not then you can,t, only you will know if if it has bluetooth.
Did not get a manual for my 6000cd player and can't change the time, also can I pair my phone with the stereo. Any help would be great, many thanx. Read more
Hello all,
Couple of quick questions!... Read more
Oil refiners naturally leave a higher proportion of butane (a nuisance contaminant in the refining process) in petrol in the winter to aid easier starting. Acetone may help a little but too much may damage the fuel system.
I think the advice as previously given to keep car and battery in good nick is as good as any.
The car trip computer overstates the mpg. Is it possible to adjust the calibration to get it more accurate? I have calculated mpg for each full tank and the computer is consistently over the actual consumption figure so I wonder if the figures it shows for mileage on remaining fuel might be dubious too.
Anyone got any ideas? Read more
>> I wonder if the figures it shows for mileage on remaining fuel might be dubious too.
I've used brim to brim fill-ups and even when the computer showed "miles to empty" as 0 I was able to add a max of 50 litres, implying 3 litres still remaining. Having said that I've also noticed there are slight variations between one Focus TDCi and another TDCi.
Safest thing to do is a double check. Check the fuel gauge, if it shows 0 or E and the "miles to empty" is close to 0 then fill with fuel asap, ideally fill well before.
Hi There
In the last week or so my car has developed a smoking exhaust, white ish in colour, that does not go away after the engine has heated up for a while. I have topped up the oil and perhaps the problem started after this.... Read more
I recently changed my insurance from More Than to Churchill and unlike every other time I've taken out insurance, Churchill weren't able to check my years of no claims electronically.
After finally getting my no claims certificate from More Than, I don't believe it to be correct in that it's showing 6 years no claims when I believe I have 7.... Read more
6 years may also be the top rate for your old insurer and therefore it could say 6 years if you have 6 claim free years or 60 claim free years
Does anybody know if you can fit snow chains to an Audi A6 Avant (02 plate) with 215/55R16 tyres on a 7J rims
My manual says you can (with chains protruding less than 15mm)... Read more
As a last fallback yes I have considered snow socks, they look good.
However, I need to navigate a number of steep hills to and from work and in and out of our house.
I understood that socks gave about 40 to 60% of the grip chains do.
I have no expereince of either so would prefere to go for maximum grip before considering something that offers less grip.
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My wifes 07 Mazda 3 has the same. I have noticed that they dry quickly after getting wet, and they stay fairly clean(unlike the black plastic liners) as I clean under the wheelarches regularly. They obviously do the job ok as yours is 6 years old.